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Reviews
Home for the Holidays (1972)
Classic 1972 Chiller
I remember seeing this as a little kid when it first aired in the UK. It was on really late, but I watched it and was afraid to go to bed after it finished. I've never seen it aired on the TV after that, and I found it really difficult to find a copy. Eventually, I found a DVD of it on iOffer, and it still holds up today!
A dying old man summons home his four daughters at Christmas because he suspects that his new wife is poisoning him. However, this proves to be the least of their problems when a mysterious figure in a yellow raincoat brandishes a pitchfork and starts picking them off one by one! This is quite a neat little thriller, but sadly, because of its TV origins, very few people know about it, which is a real shame, because it deserves so much more recognition. Hopefully, it will be released on DVD soon, as I can't find any factory release in the UK, and there's only the out of print videotape in the US, so I consider myself extremely lucky to have a copy, and a decent one at that. I really recommend that if anyone is searching for this, go straight to iOffer for a DVD, and you can sit down and watch it back to back with Black Christmas (the original, not the horrible remake).
This is well worth a watch. I highly recommend it!
The Vicar of Dibley (1994)
British Sitcom has done it again!!!
The Vicar of Dibley had me in stitches when it was first aired in 1994. Now, I make sure to catch it whenever it's shown on TV. It never bores me! The First Series is very funny and I would recommend this to everyone. It's best to start watching this from the very beginning.
This was followed by two specials : The Easter Bunny - which is hilarious, but also features the death of one of my favourite characters, and The Christmas Lunch Incident - which is definitely not one to be missed! After this, the sitcom gets seriously funny, what with the Comic Relief shorts and the final two Christmas specials - which are some of the best pieces of comedy ever to be filmed! In short, you'd be very stupid to miss this. The episodes are always aired now and again, so just catch one on the TV sometime, and I promise you, by the end - you'll be begging for more!
Eye of the Devil (1966)
Entertaining British Chiller, with an all star cast.
Eye of the Devil is a little - known horror from the mid - Sixties. David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Donald Pleasance, Flora Robson, Sharon Tate and so many more star in this, so it must be some good for them to sign up. Being in the UK, I caught this on TCM 2 last night. There was nothing else on, and I hadn't seen this before, so I turned off all the lights (as is customary) and settled down.
The movie is about a French Marquis, who owns a vineyard in France. When the vineyard's produce prove to be very little, and the produce that it has produced is dry and worthless, he has to return to France to set things right. He leaves his wife (Deborah Kerr) and his two children, tells them not to follow him, and leaves. However, curiosity gets the better of his wife, and she does indeed follow him, with their two children. However, what she discovers there is no less than horrifying...
Eye of the Devil oozes atmosphere, the performances are good, and the plot is strong enough to keep the audience's attention held. Sure, there are some plot holes and goofs, but if you can overlook these, and enjoy this for what it is, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
As an afterthought, this is probably one of the first films to ever portray pagan rituals on film. Although the world renowned - "Wicker Man" - is supposed to be the King of this genre, it probably took a lot of its ideas from this. It's a pre - Wicker Man. That's probably why its so little known. The film industry want to milk The Wicker Man and overlook this. The Wicker Man is indeed a good film, but not the first to deal with pagans.
Wherever you are in the world, if you receive the TCM channel, then you'll probably have a good chance of catching this on the TV. TCM now own the copyright to this film as far as my own knowledge goes, so, if you're a fan of this movie, then you know who to ask for a DVD release!
Who Will Love My Children? (1983)
A heart - rendering masterpiece!!!
I originally saw this on its premiere in the UK. I was mesmerised by it, and it had me in tears all throughout its duration. I taped it off the TV for safekeeping, but over the years, it's worn out. And TV never seem to show it. Therefore it was a joy to find out that True Movies own the copyright and were showing it on their channels. This time, I taped it onto a DVD, so I can enjoy it again and again.
Lucile Fray (played magnificently by Ann - Margret) discovers she has cancer, and that it is terminal. Her husband has arthritis, and, although he is loving, he is an alcoholic, and would be incapable of taking care of their children after she has gone. Therefore, she has to find new homes for each of her children before she dies.
The acting is top notch, the music beautiful, and it has stood the test of time wonderfully (it still makes me cry!) If you ever get the chance, you would be silly to miss this. It is a wonderful film! A must see for everyone!!!
The 39 Steps (1935)
One of Hitch's early greats!!!
The original film, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is as suspenseful and shocking as it was back in 1935. Robert Donat and Madeleine Caroll make the perfect match, and there are enough twists and turns in this film to keep you excited.
The plot: Richard Hannay goes to a Music Hall one night for a bit of fun. While there, some shots disrupt the performance, and everyone rushes out. A glamorous girl clings onto Hannay on the way out, and afterwards, looking scared, begs him to take her home with him. Taking pity on her, he does so. Once there, she reveals that she is in fact a spy named Anabella Smith. Apparently, an organisation are planning on taking a secret from England and dispatching it to a foreign area. Anabella was assigned to stop them. That night, she is stabbed in the back, and she dies, clasping a map of Scotland. She had marked a certain area on the map, and Richard takes it up on himself to carry on in her footsteps. But the spies are hot on his trail...
Do not be fooled by this film's age. There are a couple of DVD releases (both in the UK and America) that offer a digitally remastered version of this film. The copies shown on the TV aren't bad either.
Any lover of Hitchcock will be lost without viewing this. No matter how old this is - it still stands out as a Hitchcock Masterpiece!
The Haunting (1999)
Why?
The Shirley Jackson novel 'The Haunting of Hill House' is an atmospheric tale of terror, which conveys supernatural phenomena in an old mansion. The atmosphere is well set out, and the chills are staged well. A haunting masterpiece.
The 1963 chiller 'The Haunting' stays closely to the book, but also adds its own details to the plot. Fortunately, these are very few, and so the terror of the book and the chills are executed even better on the screen. The black and white photography only adds to the creepiness of the movie. Excellent!
And then, Jan de Bont made this. In 1999, the remake of The Haunting hit the cinemas - if you could call this a remake. Why they had to make a remake of the 1963 movie is a mystery in itself, but for the moment, lets look at the film itself.
It starts off averagely, as most horror movies do. The set used for Hill House is beautiful, and oddly mysterious, and for a few minutes, it seems as if the film is actually going to be quite a fair re-telling. And then, the first scare comes: a loose harpsichord wire slashes a woman's face (Dr. Marrow's assistant). This is hilarious, and truth be told, it nearly had me in tears.
From then on, the film just spirals downwards. The acting seems to become somewhat wooden as the film goes on, with Owen Wilson's character being particularly irritating (so it's such a relief when he's decapitated by the flue).
The special effects practically make this movie,, which is a shame, because most of them are incredibly cheesy and look very dated. Examples of these are many, so I won't bother listing them.
So, all in all, I, along with hundreds of others, strongly recommend that you watch the original chiller, or, as an alternative, buy the novel by Shirley Jackson. But please, stay away from this. And, if you do decide to watch this, watch it on the TV (as a lot of the channels love to screen this film, and not the original) or rent it cheap, but please don't buy it, whatever you do. Don't waste your money!
Final rating: 4/10
The Nurse (1997)
A very entertaining thriller
If you're expecting 'The Hand That Rocks The Cradle', please don't watch this, because even if it's got near enough the same plot, it Definitely isn't in the same league. That said, this is still a very gripping, and in places, darkly comical thriller.
Lisa Zane stars as a professional nurse, who gets a call from her father while working, who says that 'she has got to be strong'. However, he implies that he is going to do something terrible to himself, his wife and his son. Sure enough, he picks up a gun, loads it with bullets, and shoots his wife and his son (both whom are asleep). Lisa gets home just in time to see her father shoot himself on the stairs... Lisa blames her father's boss for these terrible events, as he has filed a case against her father for embezzling. When his boss hears about the shootings, he suffers a stroke, which leaves him totally paralysed. On being taken home, Lisa sees her opportunity to get revenge. The man needs a nurse to take care of him. However, before Lisa can scheme her way in, another Nurse is hired. The solution to the problem: kill the nurse. Soon after this death, she weasels her way into the family, and there, she begins to stage her ultimate revenge...
If you're in the UK, you can catch this on Zone Thriller some time, as I did last night. If you're in America, there is a DVD of this film which is quite cheap to buy, so no-one has an excuse for missing this.
If you get the chance, tune in!
Haunting Sarah (2005)
Not Bad, but could have been better!
This is one of those movies that you happen to come across on some obscure channel, and as there's nothing else on, you decide to watch it. Unlike the reviews state, this isn't actually all bad. It does have some good points to it.
The first half of this film is undoubtedly the best, but after that halfway line, it definitely begins to slip. Although it has the potential to be great, it descends and descends in enjoyment until you're left with a mess.
The basic plot line is:
Two twin sisters, both having children, throw a Halloween party. This is how the film starts, and it identifies the fact that the daughter of one of the sisters and the son of the other are really close. But then, the son (named David) gets run over accidentally when he drops his toy robot in the middle of the road and runs to retrieve it. However, the daughter says that he isn't dead. At first, the mother of the girl just thinks its shock, but then strange things begin happening, which suggest that maybe the boy's come back. The question that runs through this movie and makes up the plot line is: Why?
It starts off well, but then it gets a little strange and weird towards the end. It's worth a viewing, no doubt, but there's nothing here to go crazy about.
One can only help that a director will see this movie's potential, and make a remake of it that's much, MUCH better.
Gold (1974)
Definitely worth a viewing
I just bought this film on DVD. It came free in The Mail On Sunday.To be honest, I didn't really expect it to be a proper adventure, but I thought it would be good for a laugh. And although this film does have some great one - liners, it also builds up a lot of suspense towards the end. And Sir John Gielgud was really evil as ONE of the MANY villains.
When a general manager of a South African mine dies as a result of a cave - in, Roger Moore is appointed the new manager. However, is there a specific reason for him being appointed as the new one? As he works, he uncovers a plot to flood the mine, so that the price of gold in the Stock Exchange will be raised, and the villains of the piece will be able to sell their stocks of gold and make a huge profit...
The only problem I have with this movie is that it ends a bit abruptly. It would have been nice to see the prices fall in the stock exchange, and maybe a closing scene showing good old John blowing a casket! But never mind. This still is great viewing!
The Innocents (1961)
Wonderfully mastered chiller
The Changeling is scary. The Haunting is frightening. But 'The Innocents' (if at all possible) tops all of these movies and delivers one of the most mysterious, magnificent, spine - tingling chillers ever made. The crisp, black and white photography, the beautiful but haunting scenery, the perfect acting, all of it just helps this little gem along.
For all those who haven't seen this, the general plot line is: Deborah Kerr plays Miss Giddens, the newly appointed governess to take care of a powerful man's young nephew and niece at Bly House. The nephew - Miles - is away at school, although Flora - the man's niece - insists that he will be coming home soon. Sure enough, he gets expelled from the school (for some unknown reason), and is sent to Bly House. The boy will not speak of the reasons why he was dismissed, and arouses suspicion, especially when Miss Giddens starts seeing ghostly apparitions around the house...
This is one slick, scary slice of cinema, and as it is available on DVD in both America, and available on a remastered, BFI special edition in the UK, I would recommend that anyone interested in this movie, or merely a lover of the genre, to grab it with both hands. You won't be disappointed!
The Changeling (1980)
Must See for lovers of this genre!
This movie is definitely one of the best chillers you'll ever come across. I only bought this a few days ago, but I was pleasantly surprised!
George C Scott stars as a composer, who after his wife and daughter die in a tragic accident, rents a house from the Historical Society and makes it his home. However, loud bangings, eerie images of a corpse in the bathtub, and a terrible wrong done form one of the best ghost stories ever made.
Get a copy of this, along with The Haunting (1963), The Woman in Black (1989), Rosemary's Baby (1968), Taste of Fear (1961), and The Innocents (1961), and you will have one of the best chiller collections ever!
Unmissable!
Taste of Fear (1961)
Sheer Brilliance
This is one of Hammer's best films. Forget the Dracula's, and put away the Frankenstein's, so that you can enjoy this slick mystery thriller. After reading about this movie, and seeing that this movie was on last night, I didn't hesitate to tape it on DVD. I watched it the moment I had got up, and it definitely lived up to all that was said about it.
It starts off with a female corpse being dragged out of a lake by the police. Then, it skips to a French airport, where the crippled Penny Appleby is waiting for a car to take her to her father's estate, who has recently re - married. On the very first night of her staying there, she is woke by the crickets outside her room, and sees a strange light outside. The mysterious events that follow see her finding her father's corpse and falling into the swimming pool.
Taste of Fear/Scream of Fear is an excellent period mystery thriller. At first, it seems that the movie is going to be very boring and predictable, but as it draws to its excellent climax, where the villains of the piece are revealed, and other people's identities come to light, it all becomes very clear that this movie is way above the norm. Without giving too much away, I think the best part of the movie is how the villains get their comeuppance.
This really is a must see. If you get the chance to see this, you'd be stupid to miss it!
Midnight Lace (1960)
Interesting little movie
I caught this on Channel Five last week, and I expected another plodding Doris Day film. However, I was pleasantly surprised! This little gem isn't actually that bad. I give you that Doris Day does overplay her role horrendously in some parts, and that you can guess the twist ending when you're only half - way through, but all in all, this quite a good movie thriller!
It's about a woman who starts getting mysterious death threats from some unknown person, and as the film goes on, we see her mental health deteriorate into the twist in the climax.
The scariest scene is in the London fog in the very first scene, and the rest of it builds up suspense. A little over acted, and perfectly see - through, but a good thriller all the same! Rent it for a night in! I recommend it!
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978)
A frightening little gem!
This was originally aired in England on the Sci-Fi channel back in 1996. It was shown quite late on at night, so I taped all the episodes and watched them later. Today, I still have the recording!
A young married couple with a daughter go out in their car one day to get away from the city. The wife's father has recently been buried, and she needs to escape. They blow a tire just beside the Lost Whistle Bridge, which thus leads into the small village of Cornwall Coombe. After putting on a spare tire, they venture into it, and are instantly charmed by the inhabitants, and a grand old house. The neighbours to this house, the Dodds, say that its owner will never sell it. However, once they get back to the city, they receive a phone call from the Dodds, telling them that the house IS up for sale, and that they will have to talk to the Widow Fortune (Bette Davis). The house is surprisingly cheap, and they take it, and move. It seems absolutely great at first, but then the husband starts getting suspicious about the folk of Cornwall Coombe, especially when he learns of a recently deceased woman, who apparently fell in love in the village, but somehow 'fell from grace', and committed suicide by jumping off the Lost Whistle Bridge. As he starts to unravel the mystery, however, horrors that seek beyond the imagination start rising, and suddenly, the nice calm little village begins to show its true colours...
Bette Davis gives what must be one of her best performances EVER in this chilling mini series. It's a shame that it isn't available on DVD. The out of print VHS version was drastically cut, and its never been released uncut. Try and catch this on TV some time. The Sci-Fi Channel always shows the full series, so if you ever get the chance, make sure to watch this. You won't be disappointed!
The Haunting (1963)
A Chilling Masterpiece
This must be in top five creepiest movies EVER! It's an excellent adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel 'The Haunting of Hill House', which is also great. The frightening, crisp black and white photography just adds to the overwhelming sense of unease which surrounds this gem. And not only is this horror, this is horror from a very psychological point of view - Julie Harris deserves an Oscar for her performance as the disturbed psychic who turns up at the house, only to be overwhelmed by its power, and dragged into its legacy of terror.
A doctor who deals with the supernatural rents and old house from an equally old woman, believing it to be 'haunted' (a grave understatement), and sees it as a the ideal place to set up an experiment of his. He invites psychics Eleanor - Julie Harris - and Theo, as well as a sceptical lad to participate in this 'experiment'. And, of course, he, and the rest of the party, get a LOT more than they bargained for.
Unmissable!
The Letter (1940)
Great Mystery Thriller from Bette Davis
This is definitely one of Bette Davis's finest films. She gives what absolutely must be one of her greatest performances in her acting career.
The film literally starts off with a wounded man stumbling painfully out the front door of a house while Bette Davis shoots him until all the bullets have gone. Afterwards, she spins a tale to her husband and friends that he made a pass at her, and in the heat of the moment, shot him - six times! But then, her story is dishevelled by the existence of a letter, of which the dead man's widow has possession of. From there on, this film builds on suspension, until, in the final few scenes of the film, it's almost unbearable. But then, the inevitable finally happens, whether the audience wants it to or not.
This movie really makes for great viewing, so for fans of movies, I and many others would definitely recommend this one. Don't miss it!
The Others (2001)
Atmospheric, Spooky, and ultimately...Chilling
I hadn't heard of this film before its premiere on BBC1. I decided to tape it, after all the great reviews it got from IMDb users. I'm very glad that I did...
This little gem starts off with a Christian family living on an isolated island at the end of World War 2. The family have recently got some new servants, after the last set of servants 'disappeared' (the reason for this is explained at the end with an unforgettable twist). It is very clear that the mother isn't entirely stable, and when her daughter says she has seen a boy, and then an entire family who want to take over the whole house, she begins to get extremely paranoid, leading up to a great climax! This has everything: drama, suspense, horror, and it just oozes atmosphere, especially in the few final scenes, on a dark, misty night, when the truth behind the terrifying mystery is finally revealed!
For fans of subtle, scary ghost movies, give this one a look!
Our Mother's House (1967)
Definitely not a chiller, but still good
This was on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) a few days ago, and after all the great comments I saw about this movie, I didn't hesitate to tape it on DVD. It wasn't what I had expected in the least, and until Dirk Bogarde turns up, it's quite an average movie. But it definitely does improve after that.
The general gist of the film is that seven children who fear the orphanage bury their mother in the garden after she dies of illness, so that no one will find out. For the next 30 minutes, the film revolves around how the children survive on their own, and how they support each other (one of these methods being 'mothertime', where they have séances in the garden as they try to contact their dead mother). Then Dirk Bogarde turns up, and he claims to be their father. Most of the children take to him immediately, but the eldest doesn't, and this leads to all sorts of complications for the family, leading up to the climax (which is actually the best thing about this film).
The film, when you look at it closely, is, in fact, quite good. It's got a good storyline, good acting, and great scenery. If you're looking for a horror flick, look elsewhere, but if you're looking for a subtle, well acted melodrama, then look no further!
Definitely worth a viewing!
Mr. Skeffington (1944)
Old, but great
This is one very old movie from the mid 1940's. Bette Davis stars a beautiful but vein woman who is EXTREMELY slow to realise that Claude Rains, her husband, loves her, and actually has enough patience to put up with her.
Shot in black and white, Davis hams up her role very well, and gets a lot of great support from her co stars. SPOILER: The highlight of this film is where Davis grows ill and realises that she is growing old. It sounds awful, but you don't feel sympathetic for her character whatsoever.
However, this film has a nice ending too it, and essentially makes great viewing. Don't miss it!
Fallen Angel (2007)
Rubbish
I've never seen anything like this. The plot is muddled, pure acting talent is thrown to waste, and a lot of characters just don't fit in with the story. The first episode is enough to put you off the rest of this terrible mini series.
It starts off in 1979, with a young girl finding her grandfather dead on the floor. Then it skips to the present day, with a stupid scene showing an old woman storming into a church and insulting the vicar. That in itself is one horrible section, and it never gets better.
The second and third episodes are arguably better than the first, but, to be honest, none of it is any good.
Don't waste your time. Give this one a miss.
Remember Me (1995)
Great Mystery thriller
This is a great example of how movies SHOULD be made. It has everything: mystery, suspense, drama, and even a ghost, just to keep the film going. The plot line to this movie is fantastic, but it must be said that the twist at the end is the best thing about this film.
Kelly Mcgillis stars as a happily married woman who has a car accident on a railway line, resulting in the death of her young child. Two years later, her husband has rented a grand old mansion from one of his old 'friends.' However, when Kelly arrives, she begins to get paranoid, not helped by the fact that a creepy old woman with Alzheimers, living next door to them, is insisting that they have a ghost...
This is a brilliant period piece, and is an absolute MUST SEE for anyone who likes movies.
Jack the Ripper (1988)
Gothic Masterpiece
This is the only film about Jack the Ripper which is actually worth looking at. It doesn't use guts or gore, it's just a great scary movie. It just goes to show that you can make an excellent creepy film without showing too much violence. But, having said this, it is also true that this movie would be nothing without the fantastic Michael Caine. However, this film does have one downside. It doesn't portray the murders anything like how they were committed by the real Ripper. But, to be honest, unless you're a devoted historian then it really doesn't matter. It starts well, ends well (even though the ending to this film differs GREATLY from what happened in real life), and there's more than enough throughout the film to keep you interested. If you've never seen this before, get down to Amazon immediately and buy a copy of the DVD without hesitation. You won't regret it!
Dracula (2006)
Fantastic
I was on holiday when they showed this on TV, so I had to tape it. And boy, was it worth it. Just the beginning scene made me jump! There is only one problem I have with this film: it's nothing like Bram Stoker's book! But that really doesn't matter. This can still beat a lot of the other Dracula adaptations made before it, with its great acting, stunning photography, and a fantastic script too, together with a nice twist ending to finish it off! After viewing this with all the lights off, the volume up and the curtains drawn, I'm going to make sure never to lose my copy.
As for those who haven't seen it, there is actually a DVD of this film available at Amazon (IMDb obviously haven't noticed this yet) for a reasonable price. Honestly, purchase it. At the end of the day, it'll be your loss if you don't!
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Hilarious
For those ignorant film buffs out there, they'll have a look at this, see that it's in black and white, and quickly change the channel. I've seen it happen so many times before, and all I can do is laugh at them because they'll probably be missing a great film . This is one of those.
It starts off with the innocent looking Dennis Price, who discovers that he is one of many heirs to a great deal of money and power. However, to get this, he needs to bump off all the rest of the heirs. What follows are the most funniest deaths that have ever been seen, together with one of the best endings that have ever hit the screen! One not to be missed!
North by Northwest (1959)
Great
This is absolutely fantastic. Alright, so it's a bit dated, but who cares! This is as suspenseful as it was then as it is now, and those who don't appreciate that don't deserve to either.
James Mason steals the show as the class act villain of the piece, and Cary Grant plays his part to perfection as the high powered businessman who gets mistaken for someone else, and suddenly all the baddies are out to get him.
You will have many chances to view this film, as it is on the TV regularly, you can find it at any decent rental shop, and there has also been a well deserved DVD release as well, so you can't make any excuses for not seeing it.
Honestly, this is one of Hitchcock's best films, so you'd be stupid to miss it!